Life Story: I Didn’t Want Anyone To Hear About My Condition So I Cut Myself Off From The World

When I was in the 7th standard, my mother noticed a slight hair thinning patch on my scalp and took me to the doctor, who told us that I had Alopecia. I started my medication and within 6 months I had lost 95% of my hair. I began growing a lot of facial hair and a swollen face and as a teenager you can imagine what kind of reaction that provoked. I was teased, bullied, made fun of and while the other girls at school were flirting with boys…I was busy hiding. I went from a social, happy child to being completely withdrawn. I tried to shift my focus to studies, but the medication even affected my memory but I still managed.

During college, I was completely shut off. I would wear a scarf around my head, look down while walking and avoid any eye contact or communication. People obviously speculated about me, but I had my walls up so high — I didn’t want anyone to hear about my condition and cut off from me… so I thought it was better to cut myself off from the world. My years in college went by like this – speaking to no one and keeping to myself.

After college I took an entire year off and sat at home because I was scared of filling out job applications which always asked about medical conditions. I would sit at home all day, speak to no one, watch movie after movie, show after show and go to sleep. I was depressed and kept wondering ‘why?’… ‘why me?’ All this while my mother would keep telling me try on a wig and just get a move on and finally I decided that I simply had to leave and get out.

I bought a wig and went to work but again with a lot of fears and insecurities — I tried to keep to myself as much as possible and would even dress like a man so that no one would notice me. One evening, I was going home by train when while trying to get down, a woman pulled at my wig and it came off. For those 2 minutes, I was entirely numb…it was like the identity I had hidden for more than a decade was pulled off me. Tears started rolling down my face, as everyone on the platform watched. I picked up my wig, got into a rickshaw and cried for the first time in public. My parents were out that week, so I got home locked the door and stayed there for two days because I felt so exposed.

As I look back, that was the best thing that happened to me because finally I decided to let go. I decided to not wear a wig, put on a flowery dress and embrace this as my beauty. I went back to work, completely bald and for the first time in a long time I looked people in the eye as I walked past them…and felt accepted. People thought I did it as a style statement and began to compliment me…I finally felt comfortable in my own skin. I was only hesitant once when I had to wear a sari, but even that worked out well. I went from a ‘why me?’ to ‘why not?’ because of my inner strength and that’s something I’m proud of.

You know we hear a lot about what makes a woman – her thick hair, brown eyes or curvy body…but I think a woman is so much more than that. She’s strong, relentless and fierce and her outer appearance can never represent all of that.”

My Story: For The First Time, I Couldn’t Find Enough Courage To Talk To My Mother. Fear Of Losing Her Silently Gripped My Heart

Partner Story

This Mother’s Day, Let Us Make A Real Difference In Our Mother’s Life

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” – Abraham Lincoln

Mothers play a crucial role in our lives. Since we were little, they held our hands, acting as our guide into the world. They took care of all our needs – from teaching us how to hold a spoon, cooking delicious meals for us, dropping us to school and sitting with us while we struggled with our math homework – mothers have been there through thick and thin.

On the special occasion of Mother’s Day, Friends Adult Diapers has a beautiful message for each of us – treat your mother the way she has treated you all her life.

It was our mothers who stayed up all night taking care of us when we fell sick; it was her who help us with our homework. This Mother’s Day, remember to take care and support your mother the way she took care of you all these years.

The minds and bodies of our ageing parents dwindle as they grow even older, and somewhere in the incoherence of understanding their thoughts, children lose patience. They spend less and less time with their parents and hire others to look after them. A study by HelpAge India gives accounts of the elderly, most of whom testify to verbal abuse, neglect and disrespect by their children. Old people rely on their children for both emotional and financial support but, often times are not given the needed care.

There is little difference in how we were as toddlers and how parents are as senior citizens. They couldn’t understand the gibber we uttered then, yet taught us different languages. We were financially dependent on them till at least 18 years of age yet, they never said no to giving us pocket money. Why cannot we echo the same patience our parents showed for so many years?

Our parents have an unconditional love for us. They made sure all our needs are cared for and we never feel alone. When we grow up and our parents enter old age, they require the same care and affection. They would be delighted if we spent time with them after classes or work, make tea or cook for them and also help them with household chores when they have too many things at hand.

It is our responsibility to stand with our parents when they are weak; it is our responsibility to cook for them when they are too tired, and it is our responsibility to take care of them when they fall sick.

Mother’s Day is a celebration in honour of motherhood, a tribute to maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. Let us make a real difference by showing how much we truly care for our mothers.

Friends Adult Diapers has taken a wonderful initiative in this regard. The most precious gift for a mother is her child. So why not take this as an opportunity to shower her with the same love? After all, she deserves it for being with you through every obstacle and every hardship that you faced.